Isabella bray



(No Model.)

m: uomus PETERS 00.. FHOTO-L\TNO .WASNINGTDN, o. c.

STATES UNITE PATENT OFFICE.

ISABELLA BRAY, OF NEWV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN DRESS STAY COMPANY.

DRESS-ST AY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 494,242, dated March 28, 1893.

Application filed June 2'7, 1892. Serial No. 438,116- (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ISABELLA BRAY, of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a new Improvement in Dress-Stays; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon,to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in

Figure 1, a face view of a stay complete; Fig. 2, a transverse section through the stay; Fig. 3, a vertical central section through the tip end of the stay; Fig. 4, the covered springs as prepared to receive the tip.

This invention relates to an improvement in the construction of stays vwhich are adapted to be secured by stitching to the inside of the waists of ladies dresses, the object of the invention being to produce a stay composed of three wires or springs, and to firmly secure the wires together, and so that the stay may be adapted to be secured by stitching to the inside of a dress, and the invention consists in the construction as hereinafter described, and particularly recited in'the claim.

The stay is composed of three wires or springs a, b and c, inclosed by a fabric covering, which forms three parallel pockets to receive the springs, as seen in Fig. 2. The formation of these pockets leaves webs d d, between the pockets, and preferably also so as to leave a projecting lip e, at each side.

In the formation of the stays, the wires or springs may be covered in great length, as by braiding or weaving, and then cut to lengths, or the covering may be woven with the three pockets, and then the covering is cut to lengths, and the wires or springs cut of corresponding length and then introduced into the pockets. The springs are made from any suitable elastic material, as brass, steel, reeds,

&c. After the covered springs have been cut.

to the requisite length, a tip f is applied at each end; these tips are made from metal, doubled so as to embrace the entire end of the stays as usual in applying tips to covered wire, the tips being as usual of U shape, the legs or sides h h of the tip extending down onto the sides of the stay, but the tips are constructed with a central tongue g, projecting longitudinally therefrom between the two sides h h of the tip, there being a like tongue on each side, as seen in Fig. 3, and so that when the tips are applied, these tongues g 9, will extend down on each side, and thus inclose the central spring, then through the two tongues g g, and through the central spring, an eyeletor rivet t, is introduced, as seen in Fig. 3, which firmly secures the tip to the stay, and also secures the central sprmg in its position intermediate between the two side springs.

Should the springs be so narrow that the punching for the eyelet will cut entirely across the central spring, a piece of the spring will be taken out, but the eyelet immediately following the punching will pass 1nto the space thus cut out of the spring, and clasp upon both parts of the spring so-as to securely hold them.

While preferring to make the tip in U- shape, and cut away the metal so as to produce the longitudinally projecting tongue between the two sides of the tip, both because it reduces the weight as well as makes the tip more ornamental, the cutting away of the metal may be omitted and the projecting portion, through which the eyelet is set, extend from side to side, this being a modification too apparent to require illustration, it only being essential that the tip shall have a central projection onto the central spring through which the eyelet may be introduced.

I do not wish to be understood as claiming broadly a dress stay composed of several wires or springs inclosed within a covering and provided with a tip, but

What I doclaim is- The herein described dress stay consisting of three parallel springs inclosed within a covering, with metal tips over the end of the covering and springs, the tips adapted to embrace the ends of the springs, and with central projections on opposite sides extending over the central spring, the said projections secured together through the said central spring and covering, substantially as de- ISABELLA BRAY.

Witnesses:

M. P. BRAY, METTA O. ARMSTRONG.

IOO 

